Constant Permeke, one of the most important painters of Flemish expressionism, is best known for his strong and recognizable artworks of sailors, fishermen with their wives ,and marine paintings. Ostend often was his source of inspiration. The special bond Constant Permeke had with Ostend is reflected throughout the entire exhibitio. Discover the development of the artist, get acquainted with Permeke's first steps in the art world, get to know his friends and colleagues such as Gust De Smet and Léon Spilliaert and n admire the artworks he made after WWI. The leading expressionist had his heyday in the 1920s, where he created impressive drawings of fishermen and also portrayed Ostend several times in a unique way. Let yourself be awed by the cheerful Permeke, by his magical hands and discover Ostend through the artist's eyes.

Raoul Servais (born 1 May 1928, Ostend) is a renowned animation filmmaker. In the early 1950s he studied applied arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent (KASK). Servais painted and drew, and was very active in graphics too, but from the beginning his heart was always in animation films. The artist had neither experience nor financial means, but his curiosity and drive were enormous. In 1960 he was able to start work as a teacher at KASK, where he developed the first animated film course in Europe. In total, he made sixteen animated films. Between Havenlicht (Harbour Light, 1960) and Tank (2015) there is a gigantic evolution in style and technique. With each new film production, you feel his curiosity for new and hitherto unknown ways of creating imagery and atmosphere. Raoul Servais has won many international film prizes, such as the Palme d’Or in Cannes (Operation X-70, 1971 & Harpya, 1979) and the Primo Premio in Venice (Chromophobia, 1966).
Servais’s love of animation is a shared love. As of summer 2018, it can be enjoyed on a permanent basis in the Raoul Servais Wing of Mu.ZEE. A large selection of original documents, (cellophane) drawings and films will have a permanent place there. This wing of the museum is not intended to be the end destination for the rich oeuvre of this star of the film industry, but a new start, an inspiring place for young filmmakers.

Mu.ZEE launched a collection valuation process in November 2018. Mu.ZEE employees thoroughly went through and examined part of the museum’s collection in collaboration with various partners in the socio-cultural field. The significance of the collection and how various works of art are of value to the museum were reflected on and contemplated. In the autumn of 2019, Mu.ZEE will review the outcomes of this participatory project. The results achieved will be presented at an exhibition that provides a splendid perspective into the museum's activities and collection, along with a host of new issues and rationales that sweep the public along on a journey through Mu.ZEE’s history and its future.
What does it mean to value a collection? Which criteria do we adopt during this type of valuation process? What do we know and how should we proceed? The museum's mission and vision are what shape the theoretical framework of the valuation project. As a museum of modern and contemporary art in Belgium, we have a role to play in society. By valuing our works of art, we imbue these creations with meaning and contextualise them. We raise awareness about our artworks and attempt to come up with new interpretations and connections that we can present to visitors through exhibitions and digital access to the collection.
On the one hand, our valuation was carried out by an internal valuations team, while on the other, Mu.ZEE relied on an external sounding board that is part of its broader network. We are interested in telling you about the participatory approach we adopted for this pilot project. But above all, we would like to invite you personally to help us value a work of art or an ensemble. Because valuation isn't just the task of a single person...

Panamarenko and his contemporaries: Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Jef Geys, Hugo Heyrman, Bernd Lohaus & Bruce Nauman
Panamarenko (1940-2019). A retrospective is being arranged in Antwerp, his hometown, and a number of Belgian museums will also be going the extra mile to highlight Panamarenko in 2020. Mu.ZEE keeps several of the artist's most renowned works and is displaying a selection of these in the Learn to imitate the flight of birds exhibition, in dialogue with works by Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Jef Geys, Hugo Heyrman, Bernd Lohaus and Bruce Nauman, among others.

The museum tells you Ostend’s fascinating life story and also casts light on its future. A host of objects, posters, documents and multimedia applications reveal the secrets behind the development of the city, its tourism, fishing industry and shipping. Discover the Ostend of former times and the most famous resident of the premises, Louise-Marie, the first Belgian queen. She shows a strong presence, and even has her say.

Arctic traveller Adrien de Gerlache designed this three-master which was built in Scotland. The Mercator had only two commanders and made 54 voyages. In 1956 it repatriated the remains of Father Damien from Molokai. In 1960, it sailed into the harbour of Antwerp and in 1961, it was equipped as a museum ship. Since 1964, it has been the pearl in Ostend’s crown.
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April 3rd 1995. On this day the Amandine entered Oostende harbour for the last time. On this day it dropped anchor for the very last time. The crew disembarked, swallowed hard and went home without looking back. The last page in Oostende's book on Iceland Fishing had been turned. Now, 13 years later, the Amandine has started her second career, a career as an interactive museum. It has taken two years of hard and concentrated work in the old shipyard 'Seghers' to restore the...

The Leopold II-laan curves gracefully around the most famous sculpture of a woman in Oostende: De Zee (The Sea). Although Reclining Nude is another name for this lady the locals always refer to her as ‘Dikke Mathille’ (Fat Mathille). Grard emphasised the volume of the full, round forms. In De Zee he portrayed the opulence and sensuality of the sea in a female figure.
Until 1963 the work of art adorned the Kursaal Casino.